The leadership crisis in the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party which was resolved just before the by-election in Osun West Senatorial District has resurfaced as two chieftains are laying claim to the chairmanship position.

Dr. Bayo Faforiji, who is the chairman of the PDP faction loyal to Senator Ahmed Makarfi, told journalists in Osogbo on Saturday that he remains the authentic chairman of the party following the ruling of the Supreme Court in favour of Makarfi.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Soji Adagunodo, said a duly conducted congress of the party produced him as the chairman of the PDP in Osun.

Faforiji said, “We followed the instruction of the national secretariat of the party to shelve our differences to achieve electoral victory for Senator Ademola Adeleke. He is a PDP senator and I am the chairman of the party in Osun.

“My advice to Soji Adagunodo and his followers is that they should accept the situation calmly and join hands with the mainstream of the PDP now headed by me so that we can work together towards 2018. In life, no condition is permanent. If I cooperated with him (Adagunodo) when he was recognised as chairman under the national chairmanship of Ali Modu Sheriff and we were able to do what we did, I don’t see any reason why he should not cooperate with me now that I am the chairman of Osun PDP under the national leadership of Ahmed Makarfi.”

Reacting to Faforiji’s statement, Adagunodo said, “What you should ask him (Faforiji) is to tell you the congress that produced him. This is a political party and things cannot be done anyhow. The party has a constitution and there are laws governing the activities of political parties.

“If he can lay claim to the chairmanship of the party, then anybody can wake up and also say he is the chairman of the PDP because there was no congress which produced him, and that is wrong.”